Savile Row Company shirts

This page contains detailed information on Savile Row Company shirts and all the different fits and sizes available. You can purchase Savile Row Co. Ltd shirts direct from the company by clicking on the image below.

I interviewed Jeffrey Doltis, Managing Director of The Savile Row Company about his shirt business and a summary of our discussion towards the bottom of the page.


Savile Row Company shirts - this image takes the user from this page to the Savile Row Company page
Savile Row Company shirts – fits available

Savile Row has two different fits.

  • The Classic Fit  – the widest cut around the chest, waist and hip.
  • The Slim Fit – narrower around the chest and waist.

Savile Row used to have an extra slim fit range, but these are now discontinued and there are now (March 2020) there are only a few left on the site.


When comparing the shirt measurements and your body measurements remember:

  • For the chest the shirt circumference should be six inches larger than the body measurement for a comfortable fit. Four inches for a tighter fit.
  • For the waist the shirt circumference should be four inches larger than the body measurement for a comfortable fit. Three inches for a tighter fit.

Table 1 – Savile Row Company Shirts – Classic Fit

Collar SizeSleeve Lengths AvailableChest Size - Garment MeasurementWaist Size - Garment Measurement
15.033.944.844.9
15.534.346.346.3
16.034.647.847.8
16.535.149.349.3
17.035.650.850.8
17.536.155.355.3
18.036.553.753.7
18.536.956.156.1
19.037.658.858.8
19.53861.361.3

Table 2 – Savile Row Company Shirts – Slim Fit

Collar SizeSleeve Lengths AvailableChest Size - Garment MeasurementWaist Size - Garment Measurement
14.533.5, 35.440.537.4
15.033.9, 35.842.038.9
15.534.343.540.4
16.034.6, 36.645.041.9
16.535.1, 37.146.543.4
17.035.6, 37.648.044.9
17.536.1, 3849.546.4
18.036.5, 38.551.047.9

Can’t find what you’re looking for? Try the Shirtdetective search engine to find a shirt that fits you.

Where are Savile Row Company shirts made?

Savile Row shirts are made in Thailand and China. Most of the production is now done in China in a factory that only produces shirts for Savile Row Company.


Savile Row Company shirts - this image takes the user from this page to the Savile Row Company page

Table 3 – Savile Row Company Shirts – Extra Slim Fit

The Savile Row Company used to offer an Extra Slim Fit size.  The historic data on that shirt is below.

Collar SizeSleeve LengthsChest Size (Garment Measurement)Waist Size (Garment Measurement)
14.533.5, 35.441No info.
1533.9, 35.842.5No info.
15.534.3, 36.244No info.
1634.6, 36.644.5No info.
16.535.1, 37.147No info.
1735.6, 37.648.5No info.
17.536.1, 3850No info.
18Not available in this collar size.
18.5Not available in this collar size.
19Not available in this collar size.
19.5Not available in this collar size.
20Not available in this collar size.

 

Interview with Jeffrey Doltis

I spoke recently to Jeffrey Doltis, Managing Director of The Savile Row Company. A summary of our discussion is below.

Shirtdetective [SD]: Can you give us a brief history of the company?

Jeffrey Doltis [JD]: We started making suits in 1938, but our factory was bombed in the Second World War. We moved production to Northern Ireland and were making suits in the 1950s. We started making shirts in the late 1950s.

SD: You offer both bespoke and ready wear. What are the benefits and downsides of that?

JD: The benefit is that we can use all the experience we have gained in bespoke and apply it to the ready to wear market. We do regular customer research to understand these issues and we don’t see any downsides. There is a clear distinction in the business. We only sell the bespoke clothing from the shop in Savile Row. We only sell the ready to wear clothing online.

SD: And where are the clothes made?

JD: We make all the bespoke clothing, including the bespoke shirts, in Northern Ireland. The ready to wear shirts are made in Thailand and China. Most of the production is now done in China, as that factory allows us to treat the shirts to make them easy iron.

SD: Is that the liquid ammonia non-iron finish?

JD: We don’t call it a non-iron finish, we call it an easy iron finish. The shirts normally require a little ironing after the washing machine. All the shirts are treated this way. The treatment should last for about 50 washes before the treatment is washed from the shirt. We also have a non-iron range which we are extending later on this year.

SD: Where do you see yourselves in the market compared to companies like Charles Tyrwhitt, Marks and Spencer and TM Lewin?

JD: Our ready to wear clothing competes with Charles Tyrwhitt and TM Lewin. We see ourselves as offering a higher quality shirt than Marks and Spencer.

We feel we have a particular advantage and are superior to our rivals in the collar construction. We use a fully fused approach, so the interlining is fused to both the outside and inside of the collar. Unfused in the traditional way of making shirts and TM Lewin use unfused collars. Semi-fused is the most common approach used by companies like Charles Tyrwhitt and Hawes and Curtis.

We use internal stays to keep the collars straight and our customers can add a further plastic stay to keep the collar rigid. We feel this gives the best balance and our collars work well with and without a tie. The collar on a Savile Row shirt will never curl.

SD: And what’s your role in production? Do you own the factory?

JD: We are a shareholder in our Chinese factory. That factory only makes shirts for The Savile Row Company. We design the shirts here using a CAD system and then send the details for them to be produced in the factory. The factory owner is a fabric specialist, so we work closely with him.

SD: I saw that you have removed the Extra Slim Fit from your range. What was the reason for that?

JD: The Extra Slim Fit was not attractive to our customers., but we are keeping that under review. We also offer a made to measure shirt for £75 and that is attractive for customers who want a shirt based on a individual cut.

SD: What sizing do you normally recommend for customers in terms of the difference between the garment chest size and the body size? Six inches for a comfortable fit and four inches for a slimmer fit?

JD: Yes. Exactly.

SD: And for the garment waist size and the body waist size? Between four and three inches difference?

JD: Yes.

SD: There is a trend to include elastane or lycra in shirts. Is that something you have considered?

JD: We did this in the past, including elastane in our shirts. It’s relatively easy to do and not too difficult to work with the material. However, it doesn’t add to the look or feel of the shirt and that’s why we don’t do it anymore.

SD: How do you go about choosing the size of your shirts as you have changed the sizing in the past?

JD: We’ve had the same sizing for the past two years but do keep reviewing this each season. We generally adjust it on the basis of returns. We found that customers were saying our shirts were too big, so we made them a little smaller. Now we have a very low return rate and only a proportion of those returns are sizing issues. Of those returning for sizing reasons, roughly half say the shirts are too big for them and roughly half say they are too small so we think we’re about right.

SD: Have you used one of the companies that offer size recommendation if the customer inputs their own data, like fits.me?

JD: We did use one of these services in the past, but don’t use them any longer. It slowed down the website and did not improve our return rates, we felt the customers did not engage with it.

SD: Great. Thank you very much for your time. That’s been really interesting.

JD: Thank you.


Savile Row Company shirts - this image takes the user from this page to the Savile Row Company page